Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this very hooking, and I enjoyed Matt’s narration.

It is an excellent, well written book, and gave me an insight into something that I have no real knowledge of.

I wasn’t expecting to learn so much from this book, but I did and I found it very interesting. I also think it is very important information that everyone should know - especially the details about CPR.

I probably wouldn’t reread this myself, but I will definitely be buying a copy of the book for my grandma, as I know it is something that she would find fascinating.

It was my first audiobook and I have to say I enjoyed the narration very much. I found the historical passages the most interesting (I learnt quite a lot about Roald Dahl!), as well as the explanations about the intricate ways in which our bodies work. I did find some passages maybe a bit harder to follow, but that"s because I like doing other things while I'm listening to something, and some scientific explanations would probably have required more concentration on my part. Overall an interesting audiobook, with a lovely message of compassion at its heart.

5 Word Review: Health, medicine, history, research, dedication.

Doctor Matt Morgan narrates the book himself and does an excellent job - the anecdotes are particularly poignant with the inflection of personal experience. I loved the narration, the emotion and the pace. I like when authors narrate their own books, it add extra life and meaning to the audiobooks.

I think this is a difficult one to review - while it was fascinating it also felt deeply personal, and absolutely heartbreaking at times. It's a pretty harrowing read and the stories about the patients are full of heart. They were actual people, with lives and families and unexpected tragedy waiting just around the corner.

I loved the dives into medical history and innovation, from when ICU first starting becoming a thing in hospital and all of the gruelling work put in my doctors and nurses and students, and yes the patients too. I liked how it was split up into different parts of the body, the different parts that could go wrong and how the care can differ.

This is an excellent audiobook and perfect for fans of This is Going to Hurt and Unnatural Causes.

An enjoyable listen. Being a perfusionist I know a little about what goes on in the intensive care unit without having worked there, this was an excellent insight into the on goings of the critical care of patients in NHS hospitals every day. Taking examples from real patent histories, Matt's own experience, science that was not only perfectly correct but simple to understand and breaking it all down into the areas of the body that when fail require critical support makes this an easy listening narrative. Filled with drama, good and bad outcomes but mostly reality of life. The author reads the book in his soft Welsh accent which I enjoyed.
Ultimately, you will either, quit smoking, cut down on your drinking or learn CPR after listening to this as many of the causes of admittance to ITU are self inflicted, I don't think this is a bad thing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC.

Love this! Brilliant non fiction and highly recommended. Written very well, great tales and loved the narrator.

This book wasnt what I expected it to be. Having read quite a few books recently written by doctors and midwives telling their memoirs and stories often with much humour of their time working for the NHS I expected this book to be more like those.
Although there are stories about real life death situations encountered by the author, I felt this book was much more science based which is great if that is something you are interested in. I listened to this book as an audiobook and I havecto say I felt like I was listening to a medical science lecture. If you work in the medical field or are studying medicine or have an interest in the science behind a wide range of critical conditions then this book is for you. I can see that the majority of readers have given the book 4 stars showing that it is a very well written and popular book but it just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book and was delighted to receive an audiobook copy as it was narrated by the author himself.
He has a lovely calm voice and I felt it showed how he would reassure his patients.
I liked how each chapter dealt with a different part of the body and all the case studies that related to each chapter were well-written and explained, even if the outcomes weren't always happy ones.
I've read a lot of medical memoir type books by Drs and Paramedics, but never from the Intensive Care side of things and found this to be eye opening and informative.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my audiobooks copy in return for my honest review.

I have to admit that if I read this book rather than it being an audiobook I probably wouldn't have finished it. I always like these kind of stories to have lots of references to real life people. This didn't have much of that but it was so interesting to listen to. How our bodies react when our life is in danger. How modern medicine can make a different between life and death. The voice was soothing and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have probably learnt a bit too!

July Audiobook: Critical - Dr Matt Morgan



I was kindly gifted this audiobook via Netgalley & the publishers and was really excited to listen to it (I even later found I had a copy on my Kindle which I hadn't got round to reading yet!).

I love watching anything medical and after reading This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay I thought I knew what to expect, however; Critical was a total suprise. It was much more in-depth, scientific and medically detailed, and gave a real insight into the world of Intensive Care. If you expect the humour of Adam Kay then this book may not be for you as the subject matter unsuprisingly, leads to a much more serious feel.

Each chapter of the book deals with different parts of the body, the lungs, the heart, the gut etc and Dr Morgan tells stories based on his experience in the ICU. Each chapter has a case study of sorts so you get a first hand story of someone who has has problems relating to the chapter. I found the chapter on the soul very interesting, it was really good to hear about the subject matter of death from an ICU doctor, who you may think would become immune to it after experiencing it so often.

At times I did feel like some of the topics went over my head a little as Dr Morgan is very medically descriptive, however I dont think this will be a problem for everyone - science just never was one of my strong points! I would also have liked a little more of Dr Morgans personal story; I like to know a backstory so I can really relate with them.

I think during this time of Cornavirus, when we have all become even more focused on our NHS staff and just how fantastic they are, it's great to hear from any of those wonderful people who put themselves out there on the front line every day for our benefit. AND...finally can I just add that having Dr Morgan read the book himself is just fantastic! His dulcet Welsh tones are so perfect for an audiobook and I think I could listen to him read an IKEA instruction manual!!!

​I purchase this book on a recent shopping trip as it looked really intriguing and interesting.
I had read part of the book, sitting down and enjoying it when I had chance to read. When I realised Netgalley had put it up as one of their new audio books I jumped at the chance to listen to it. I didn't need to wait for chance to sit and read. Out came my ear buds and a paint brush and while painting the fences and doing some gardening I listened to the book.
It was a great listen, the narrator had a very calming relaxing voice, the book is done sympathetically towards some hard subjects.
One of the reasons this book caught my eye was as it's based around Intensive care I thought it would be good to learn from the dr's side of things. I had a family member in ICU and the stress on the family at the time was immense. Yet the treatment he received was first class from drs and nurses alike.
Each chapter gives info on a different subject and it was absolutely fascinating. These are the sort of medics you want on your care if ever it was needed. The knowledge and range that is spoken about is brilliant. I'm by no ways medically trained at all so this was good for me, maybe someone who is medically trained may not appreciate the explanations of some of the subjects.
This is by far one of the best medical books I've read. maybe ideal for anyone who is thinking of working in this field or if you are just like me and nosey.

The author narrates, which helps especially when he speaks directly to the reader, such as about smoking or CPR. He has a mild Welsh accent that takes a little getting used to (whole rhyming with pool is especially jarring as the rest of his accent is so mild) and uses a few american pronunciations (privacy). The flow is good, especially as the book goes on, but he does audibly check his notes before pronouncing names that are not of British origin, which shows a lack of preparedness and consideration.

The content is fabulous. I've read a fair few of these medical memoirs and it is unusual to see such a wealth of scientific detail used. Morgan does not condescend to the reader, you will appreciate calcium inbalances and ammonia build up. He does come across as very privileged, boarding schools, second homes and gap yaahs are normal and he appreciates the grit and hard work of the deserving poor. This, coupled with his smugness around medicine, that it cannot learn from other industries and no one else appreciates it's complexity, can make him seem out of touch.

What he does convey very well is the ambiguity of medicine, the role of the consultant as a leader and active problem solver, and the importance of research alongside practice. As someone who dropped out of medical school after 3rd year, feeling bored and constrained by rote memory and NICE guidelines, I wonder what impact this may have had on me during that time in my life.

Thanks Netgalley!